Light Spring vs Light Summer

How the palettes differ

A daylight test you can do yourself

Face a window with no makeup on, in plain daylight. Both indoor bulbs and phone cameras change how skin reads, so daylight plus a mirror will show you something closer to the truth.

1. Put something peach under your chin, then trade it for powder blue.
2. Look at your face in the mirror rather than at the fabric. When a color is right, your skin appears even and rested.
3. Pay attention when a color is wrong. You might see gray shadows, a washed-out, chilly cast, or extra redness.
4. Rest light gold jewelry on your wrist, then silver, and notice which one seems to disappear into you.
5. If you have black and dark brown on hand, try each one by your face and look for shadows or a tired look. Both will likely feel heavy, since both seasons get weighed down by them, so the peach and blue test is what tells them apart.

Signs you're Light Spring

• Peach and coral tones give your face an instant lift.
• Powder blue leaves you looking washed out and cold.
• Light gold and rose gold jewelry sit quietly against your skin.
• Pure white reads as too sharp compared with soft cream or ivory.
• Black anywhere near your face leaves you drained and tired.
• A dark lipstick dominates your face so the mouth is all anyone notices.

Signs you're Light Summer

• Gentle cool pinks and baby blues give your face an instant lift.
• Powder blue and silver settle redness, while peach turns too yellow on you.
• Silver jewelry sits naturally on you, but yellow gold turns brassy.
• Strong warm shades like mustard or rust turn your skin yellow.
• Black near your face drains your skin and brings out dark circles.
• A deep lipstick can swallow the rest of your features.

Where the two seasons overlap

These are both light seasons, so both of them need airy, delicate color. Deep black or dark brown pulls both down. Both palettes say no to Dark Magenta and Dark Cognac.

If you can't choose yet

Plenty of people sit near the border, and a quiz is just where you start. If you're still between the two, our quiz asks three short questions: which metal suits you, whether your features are light, medium or deep, and whether clear or gentle shades work better near your face. It needs no photo or account, and your answers stay in your browser. After that, you can check the result with mirror tests in daylight or a draping in person, where a stylist holds different fabrics up to your face.

Each palette also comes with 60 named shades and their HEX codes, so you can set the two side by side.